Expressions of MMP-3 and TIMP-3 and Their Correlation with Tumor Interstitial Microvascular Density and Cancer Metastasis in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

[Purpose] To study the expressions of MMP-3 and TIMP-3 and their correlation with interstitial microvascular density(MVD) and cancer metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).[Methods] Immunohistological staining was used to detect the expressions of MMP-3,TIMP-3 and MVD in 97 cases with NSCLC and their metastatic lesions.[Results] The positive rates of MMP-3 were 56.7% and 74.1% in primary and metastatic lesions respectively,with signifi-cant difference(P0.05).The positive rates of TIMP-3 were 64.9% and 37.0% respectively,also with significant difference(P0.05).The expression of MMP-3 and TIMP-3 was correlated both in primary and metastatic lesions of NSCLC(P0.05).MVD was significantly higher in cases with MMP-3 positive expression than that in cases with MMP-3 negative expression(P=0.013).MVD was lower in cases with TIMP-3 positive expression than that in cases with TIMP-3 negative expression(P=0.035).[Conclusions] MMP-3 and TIMP-3 might take part in the carcinogensis and progress of NSCLC.The expressions of MMP-3,TIMP-3 and MVD might be related to the biological characteristics of NSCLC and have the practical value in prognosis and treatment of NSCLC.